Artist{3 s paintbrush

ABSTRACT

An artist&#39;&#39;s paintbrush having bristles of hair selected from the tail of a chinchilla. Preferably hairs having a length of from 1 1/2 to approximately 2 1/2 or 3 inches are taken by cutting from the region where they grow near the end of the animal&#39;&#39;s tail. The tuft of hairs to be used in a brush is partially dipped in liquid aluminum solder to form a base or bulb for the hairs. The solder is permitted to dry partially to the point where it is no longer runny while still being malleable. The outer end of the brush is then threaded through a shaped ferrule until the bulb is impacted into the outer, tapered end of the ferrule, packing the liquid solder bulb into the smaller end of the ferrule, and a nail is driven through the ferrule into the handle to retain the assembly in proper juxtaposition.

United States Patent 91 Brown 11] 3,924,287 Dec.9, 1975 ARTISTS PAINTBRUSH [75] Inventor: Anna P. Brown, Hawthorne, Calif.

[22] Filed: Aug. 5, 1974 [21] Appl. No.: 494,495

[52] US. Cl. 15/192; 15/159 A; 300/21 [51] Int. Cl. A46B 3/04; A46D H00 [58] Field of Search. 15/159 R, 159 A, 166, 191 R,

OTHER PUBLICATIONS Book-Brushmaking Materials by F. Kidd, published Mar. 1957, by British Brush Mfg. Research Assoc., London-pp. 162l.

Primary Examiner-Daniel Blum Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Henry M. Bissell ABSTRACT An artists paintbrush having bristles of hair selected from the tail of a chinchilla. Preferably hairs having a length of from 1 /2 to approximately 2% or 3 inches are taken by cutting from the region where they grow near the end of the animals tail. The tuft of hairs to be used in a brush is partially dipped in liquid aluminum solder to form a base or bulb for the hairs. The solder is permitted to dry partially to the point where it'is no longer runny while still being malleable. The outer end of the brush is then threaded through a shaped ferrule until the bulb is impacted into the outer, tapered end of the ferrule, packing the liquid solder bulb into the smaller end of the ferrule, and a nail is driven through the ferrule into the handle to retain the assembly in proper juxtaposition.

6 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures US. Patent. Dec. 9 1975 3,924,287

ARTIST S PAINTBRUSH BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION l. Field of the Invention This invention relates to animal hair paintbrushes and, more particularly, to brushes which are particularly designed for use by artists.

2. Description of the Prior Art Despite the centuries of mans use of brushes in the painting of works of art, one of the problems which has not been solved heretofore, to my knowledge, is that of providing some implement capable of painting the extremely fine line work representative of the veins of a rose, the individual hairs of a persons head and the like. Hairs from many different animals, as well as vegetable fibers and certain synthetic bristles, have been employed in an effort to develop brushes which are suitable for achieving the different effects to which artists aspire in their painting. Some animal hair brushes which are in more or less common use by artists have bristles of boar, badger, mink, ox ear, goat weasel, kolinsky, squirrel, civet, sable, and the like. Some of these brushes are extremely expensive, both because of the scarcity or value of the animal from which the hair is taken and because of the steps involved in the process of fabrication of artists brushes therefrom. Nevertheless, the best of these brushes is not capable of achieving the fine line work which may be accomplished by the use of brushes in accordance with my invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION I have found that chincilla hair may be used to provide an artists paintbrush which far exceeds any others previously known in the capability of laying down traces of paint to represent extremely fine lines in the work being painted by the artist. Such a brush may be used with water colors or with oils or with other types of materials with superior results, compared with other brushes which are known. Brushes in accordance with the invention are described in the abstract hereinabove.

The chinchilla is a small rodent resembling a longtailed rabbit with smaller ears. The commonest member of the species, Chinchilla Laniger, is the Chilean variety which has done well under domestication. The Chilean chinchilla is raised extensively in captivity, principally for its fur which, throughout the body, is about one inch long, exceedingly soft and generally of a beautiful pale gray color with dusky overtones. The tails of the chinchillas are generally not used with the pelts in the making of fur garments and thus are not as valuable as the rest of the pelt.

An adult chinchilla has a tail of approximately 4 to 6 inches in length. The outer end of this tail is formed of hairs growing out from the root a length of nearly 3 inches. The hairs diminish in length as they approach the base of the tail and the longer hairs only grow in a narrow ridge perhaps one-fourth inch in width at the base extending the length of the tail along the upper side thereof. It is only from this ridge that the hairs may be selected for use in paintbrushes in accordance with my invention, and the longer hairs growing near the extremity of the tail are preferred.

In fabricating brushes in accordance with the invention, Iselect a tuft of hair from a region near the end of the animals tail on the upper side thereof and cut off the tuft near the hair roots. This tuft comprises hairs of varying lengths with the longest hairs positioned in the center and surrounded by shorter hairs. I then dip the base of the tuft of hairs into a container of liquid aluminum solder of the type commonly found in hardware stores or the like. After dipping the tuft, it is removed with a ball or bulb of solder approximately one-half inch in length clinging to the base of the tuft. This is permitted to dry partially until it is no longer runny but is still malleable. The tuft is then fed tip first into the large end of a slightly coneshaped ferrule, open at both ends, and pulled out through the smaller end of the ferrule until the bulb at the base of the tuft is lodged in the ferrule near the small end. A handle for the brush, suitably shaped and prepared, is then forced into the large end of the ferrule, tamping the bulb into the smaller end so that it assumes the shape of the ferrule, where it is permitted to harden. The handle may be retained by suitable adhesive means. I prefer to drive a small brad through a hole.previously prepared in the ferrule and into the portion of the handle within the ferrule so as to retain it in a fixed position therein. I prefer to use handles made of Calcutta wood which is a form of bamboo but which is solid rather than hollow. Such wood has desirable flexibility and resilience so that brushes fabricated therefrom may be dropped or even stepped on without likelihood of damage.

Brushes according to my invention have such fine hairs and, when wet by water paints or oils, have such a fine but flexible point, that extremely fine lines can be drawn, using oils, water colors, or other artists pigments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS A better understanding of the invention may be had from a consideration of the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a drawing of an artists paintbrush in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a drawing of the same brush illustrating its appearance when in the wet condition;

FIG. 3 is a drawing of a chinchillas tail showing the region from which hairs for brushes in accordance with the invention are obtained; and

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram representing a series of views illustrating steps in the fabrication of embodiments of my invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, a paintbrush 10in accordance with the present invention is shown having a handle 12 positioned in a ferrule 14 from which extend a plurality of chinchilla-hair bristles 16 forming the brush tip 18. As indicated, the ferrule 14 is tapered slightly from the large end 20 into which the handle 12 is inserted to the smaller end 22 from which the bristles 16 extend. Preferably the ferrule 14 is formed of a small sheet of thin metal rolled upon itself with a single overlap edge 24. A brad 26 is shown extending through the metal of the ferrule 14 into the material of the handle 12 to hold it in position within the ferrule 14.-

FIG. 1 illustrates the brush 10 with the bristles l6 flared out with respect to each other as they appear when they are dry. FIG. 2 illustrates the brush 10 with the brush portion 18 shown as the bristles appear when the brush is wet, as by water or oil paints. The individual hairs then cling together and taper to an extremely 3 fine point 28 at the very tip of the brush 10. It is this point which permits such fine and delicate painting by an artist, as is desired for the representation of very fine detailed work such as the veins in the petals of a rose, for example.

FIG. 3 shows a chinchillas tail 30 illustrating the region from which hairs suitable for brushes in accordance with the present invention are preferably selected. The tail of an adult animal is from 4 to 6 inches in length, including the length of the long hairs at the outer end. The tail is covered with short hairs approximately one-quarter inch long or less, except for a narrow ridge along the upper surface of the tail. This ridge begins at about a quarter inch in width at the base of the tail 30 and narrows as it proceeds outward toward the tip. The hairs along this ridge begin at about the same length as other tail hairs near the base but increase in length with proximity to the outer tip end of the tail until at the very tip they approximate one and one-half to two and one-half inches or more in length. These long hairs are extremely fine in texture and diameter and I have found them to be ideally suited for use in my invention. I prefer to select hairs from a region marked A in FIG. 3, extending from approximately one-third to one-half of the distance from the outermost end of the tail 30. In actuality, the outermost end of the region A corresponds with the very tip of the tail 30 without the hair attached.

Referring now to FIG. 4, steps comprising the fabrication of arrangements in accordance with my invention are illustrated. Once a tuft of hair 40 is removed from the tail 30, preferably by cutting near the hair roots, it is partially dipped in a container 42 of liquid aluminum solder. Upon removal after a brief interval sufficientto permit the solder to wet the base of the hairs comprising the tuft 40, a ball or bulb 44 of solder clings thereto. This is held until the solder 44 partially dries sothat it is no longer runny but is still malleable. Next the tuft is directed, tip first, into the larger end 20 of the previously prepared slightly tapered ferrule 14 and inserted therein until the tip of the tuft 40 emerges from the smaller end 22. The tuft 40 is then pulled on through the ferrule 14 until the partially hardened liquid solder 44 lodges in the smaller portion of the ferrule 14. An impacting implement or tamper (not shown) may be used to tamp the solder ball 44 into the ferrule 14. Tamping of the solder ball 44 into the ferrule 14 may also be accomplished by inserting the butt end of the handle 12 into the larger end of the ferrule 14. Once tamped into place, the liquid solder ball 44 is permitted to harden in place, where it serves as an effective means of retaining the hairs 16 against their falling out of the brush during use. The brad 26 is then inserted and the brush 10. is in finished form.

Artists paintbrushes fabricated as described herein provide a particularly desirable implement which is superior to any other brushes known for very fine line work. Brushes of chinchilla hair. according to the pres ent invention are very easy to clean. When wet, they can simply be dried on a towel or other absorbent material and then slapped two or three times across a cornered edge to resume the like-new tuft appearance shown in FIG. 1.

Although there have been described hereinabove one specific arrangement of an artists paintbrush and a method of fabrication in accordance with the invention for the purpose of illustrating the manner in which the invention may be used to advantage, it will be appreciated that the invention is not limited thereto. Accordingly, any and all modifications, variations or equivalent arrangements which may occur to those skilled in the art should be considered to be within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An artists paintbrush comprising:

a handle;

a ferrule joined to the handle, the ferrule being slightly tapered and having a larger end and a smaller end, the handle extending into the ferrule at the larger end; and

a brush portion mounted in the ferrule and extending outwardly from the smaller end thereof, which brush portion comprises bristles of chinchilla hair from a selected region of the tail of a chinchilla.

2. A paintbrush in accordance with claim 1 wherein the chinchilla hair comprises hairs selected from a region on the upper side of the tail of a chinchilla along the outer one-half of its length.

3. A paintbrush in accordance with claim 1 wherein the hairs are set at their butt ends in a material hardened from liquid metal .solder.

4. A paintbrush in accordance with claim 3 wherein the ferrule comprises a rolled, slightly tapered metal band and the hardened material is shaped to conform to the interior configuration of the smaller end of the ferrule and is mounted. therein.

5. A paintbrush in accordance with claim 1 wherein the butt ends of the hairs are fixed in a solidified metal bulb mounted within the smallerend of the ferrule and shaped to conform to the interior dimension thereof.

6. A paintbrush in accordance with claim 2 wherein the brush portion comprises hairs of varying lengths with the longest hairs positioned in the central region of the brush portion and surrounded by shorter hairs. 

1. An artist''s paintbrush comprising: a handle; a ferrule joined to the handle, the ferrule being slightly tapered and having a larger end and a smaller end, the handle extending into the ferrule at the larger end; and a brush portion mounted in the ferrule and extending outwardly from the smaller end thereof, which brush portion comprises bristles of chinchilla hair from a selected region of the tail of a chinchilla.
 2. A paintbrush in accordance with claim 1 wherein the chinchilla hair comprises hairs selected from a region on the upper side of the tail of a chinchilla along the outer one-half of its length.
 3. A paintbrush in accordance with claim 1 wherein the hairs are set at their butt ends in a material hardened from liquid metal solder.
 4. A paintbrush in accordance with claim 3 wherein the ferrule comprises a rolled, slightly tapered metal band and the hardened material is shaped to conform to the interior configuration of the smaller end of the ferrule and is mounted therein.
 5. A paintbrush in accordance with claim 1 wherein the butt ends of the hairs are fixed in a solidified metal bulb mounted within the smaller end of the ferrule and shaped to conform to the interior dimension thereof.
 6. A paintbrush in accordance with claim 2 wherein the brush portion comprises hairs of varying lengths with the longest hairs positioned in the central region of the brush portion and surrounded by shorter hairs. 